LD26144: Overlapping pain in a near-poor family with two fathers and sons suffering from cancer

The family is near-poor, the debt for treatment of hundreds of millions of VND is still there, while the elderly and weak mother has difficulty walking. At the threshold of her father's life and death, the daughter can only place hope in the sharing of the community.

Pain piled up in a near-poor family with two fathers and sons suffering from cancer

In the hospital room of Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery 1, K Hospital, Mr. Nguyen Van Yen (72 years old, residing in Thanh Chieu, Co Do, Hanoi) was lying silently on the hospital bed. His thin body, pale skin due to anemia, prolonged pain and fever made his health increasingly depleted.

In 2025, Mr. Yen underwent surgery to treat rectal cancer. The family had hoped that after months of difficult chemotherapy and radiation therapy, he could gradually return to normal life. However, for just over a month now, unusual signs such as bowel disorders, bloody stools and high fever have continuously appeared.

Examination results showed that he had rectum septal stomatitis, creating an abscess - a serious complication that could increase the risk of cancer recurrence if not treated promptly.

Mentioning her family situation, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen (45 years old) - Mr. Yen's eldest daughter - could not hide her emotion.

Her family is near-poor, with four children, of which the only younger brother has nasopharyngeal cancer. After a long time fighting the disease, the younger brother passed away in early May 2026.

My family had not yet recovered from the pain of losing my younger sibling when my father was hospitalized again. The doctor said that my father was weak, old, and had poor appetite. If the abscess was not treated, treatment later would be much more difficult," Ms. Yen choked up.

In recent years, to treat both their father and younger brother, the family has had to sell all valuable household items, and then borrow up to hundreds of millions of dong. As soon as the son lay down, the burden of illness continued to fall on the shoulders of those who remained.

The daughter who works as a construction worker puts aside her livelihood to save her father's life.

Not only facing illness, Mr. Yen's family also struggles with countless difficulties in life.

The wife is old, weak, has difficulty walking, and all daily activities need support. The other three daughters are all struggling. One is a single mother raising a child with autism who has to study in special education classes. Another bears the responsibility of raising two young children of school age.

Therefore, most of the care and treatment costs for her father are placed on Ms. Hai Yen's shoulders.

She and her husband worked as construction workers and masons. The work was heavy and the income was precarious, just enough to cover living expenses and raise their children to study. But when her father was about to undergo a major surgery, she had to temporarily put aside her job to be on duty in the hospital.

I still have two younger sisters, but they are also very difficult. Taking care of my father is mainly me standing out to borrow money and manage. In the near future, my father will have surgery, I have to quit my job to take care of him. Income that was already small is now gone, I am really worried," Ms. Yen said in tears.

According to doctors of Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery 1, Mr. Yen is about to undergo surgery to dredge the rectal abscess, remove the entire rectum and iliac marrow through the abdomen and perineum, close the natural anus and make a permanent artificial anus.

Despite having health insurance, the family still has to face many off-book costs, medicine and long-term monitoring and treatment after surgery. It is expected that the amount of money the patient needs to pay may be up to 20-30 million VND - this amount is currently too large for a family that is exhausted by illness.

The surgery day is very near, but in the poor girl's pocket, there is almost nothing left except debts that she does not know when to pay off.

As long as there is water, there is hope. I just hope that the community, philanthropists and kind hearts can help so that my father has more opportunities to be treated. I just hope he can live any longer," Ms. Yen choked up.

Each sharing at this time not only helps a patient have more opportunities to overcome the gate of death, but is also a source of encouragement for the filial daughter to continue to stand firm on the journey to save the life of her father after the continuous losses that the family has just experienced.

All help for life situation LD26144 please send to: Tam Long Vang Charity Social Fund - 51 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi. Account number (STK) 113000000758 at Vietinbank Hoan Kiem Branch, Hanoi; Account number: 0021000303088 - at Vietcombank Hanoi Branch; Account number: 12410001122556 - at BIDV Hoan Kiem Branch.

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